Breakdown of Fue increíble que el ruido fuera ensordecedor.
ser
to be
el ruido
the noise
que
that / than
increíble
incredible
Questions & Answers about Fue increíble que el ruido fuera ensordecedor.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive (fuera) here instead of the past indicative (era)?
The phrase fue increíble que is a past evaluative clause. It expresses a subjective judgment or reaction to an event. Just like expressing a judgment in the present (es increíble que...) triggers the present subjunctive, doing so in the past requires the past (imperfect) subjunctive.
Why use fuera (from ser) instead of estuviera (from estar) to describe the noise? Isn't a loud noise a temporary condition?
Even though the noise itself only lasted for a certain time, ensordecedor describes the defining characteristic or nature of that specific noise. When you classify or describe what kind of thing something is, you use ser, regardless of how long the event exists.
Why is the first verb (fue) in the preterite instead of the imperfect (era)?
How do you break down the adjective ensordecedor?